Tuesday, August 28, 2012


I came into the bedroom the other day and there was Penny, my cat, curled up on the bed in a patch of sunshine. She seems to prefer sunshine as a place to spend her nap time. This summer has been quite hot and during the first days of the first heat wave I was concerned for Penny. I was away from the house most of the day and felt that the build=up of heat might be too much for her. About the second day of ninety-plus weather I came home to find Penny on the shelf where I keep a collection of plants— quite contentedly sleeping in a patch of sunshine.

Sunshine suits Penny, for she is a little patch of sunshine herself. She is bright and cheerful, even-tempered and affectionate. She takes life as it comes and doesn’t get too excited about anything. She likes people and is always ready to make herself available for their homage and adoration. But she prefers one or two guests at a time. When, on occasion, too many congregate at my house, she doesn’t make a fuss about it, but simply disappears to return when the multitude has left and the number of visitors has returned to what she considers an acceptable level.

I have been pleased to note that there does not seem to be a conceited bone in her body. Though I have informed her numerous times that she has a blog site named for her, pictures of her appear on it, and there is a definite possibility that she will, at some time in the future, become very famous, she takes it in stride and has not shown the least tendency to exhibit excessive vanity, egotism or pride. As long as she has adequate portions of tuna made available at appropriate times and has a suitable collection of soft chairs or couches to rest upon, she is satisfied.

I have been told and have sometimes noted that animals have a tendency to acquire the characteristics of people with whom they spend a great deal of time. I wonder if the reverse is true and that a person is likely to acquire characteristics of an animal. If that is the case, it would be all right with me. I wouldn’t mind having some of the calm, quiet, cheerful and accepting love of life that is Penny’s.

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

I’m one who likes to plan things. I used to be very much that way. I’m less so now. It’s not that I don’t want to plan ahead; it’s simply that I recognize it to be a somewhat futile effort.

There is an old saying that if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans. I think that was first written by someone who feels much as I do. Lately I have had a number of incidents that reinforce those feelings. My most well laid plans have been totally shattered by unforeseen circumstances—mechanical failures, oversights in making necessary communications, people facing conflicting responsibilities, etc. That can lead to situations that are very frustrating.

There is another saying to the effect that a person is never given more stress than he or she can handle. That philosophy gives some hope to the situation and, fortunately, I believe I’ve come to a point at which I am not overly disturbed by shattered plans. Actually I don’t really call them plans any more. They are more like intentions. If what I intend happens—fine. If it doesn’t—that’s OK, too. There is another saying/philosophy to the effect that the universe works things out in a manner that is best for everyone concerned. That particular one offers a lot of hope though it may not offer the best of experiences. I guess it might be summed up as “Go with the flow.” There’s a lot of value in that. First of all, things usually work out satisfactorily despite the shattered plans and in the meantime not getting agitated over their being shattered makes for a much more tranquil existence.

So much for that. Now, I’m going to set about making my list of intentions for this coming week.


Monday, August 20, 2012

I’m one who likes to plan things. I used to be very much that way. I’m less so now. It’s not that I don’t want to plan ahead; it’s simply that I recognize it to be a somewhat futile effort.

There is an old saying that if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans. I think that was first written by someone who feels much as I do. Lately I have had a number of incidents that reinforce those feelings. My most well laid plans have been totally shattered by unforeseen circumstances—mechanical failures, oversights in making necessary communications, people facing conflicting responsibilities, etc. That can lead to situations that are very frustrating.

There is another saying to the effect that a person is never given more stress than he or she can handle. That philosophy gives some hope to the situation and, fortunately, I believe I’ve come to a point at which I am not overly disturbed by shattered plans. Actually I don’t really call them plans any more. They are more like intentions. If what I intend happens—fine. If it doesn’t—that’s OK, too. There is another saying/philosophy to the effect that the universe works things out in a manner that is best for everyone concerned. That particular one offers a lot of hope though it may not offer the best of experiences. I guess it might be summed up as “Go with the flow.” There’s a lot of value in that. First of all, things usually work out satisfactorily despite the shattered plans and in the meantime not getting agitated over their being shattered makes for a much more tranquil existence.

So much for that. Now, I’m going to set about making my list of intentions for this coming week.


Monday, August 13, 2012


“Silence is golden,” so the saying goes. I have come to believe that is very true, part of that decision being my free opinion and part of it coming from something that has been forced upon me. What has been forced upon me is a gradual loss of hearing that has taken place over the last three or four years. At first, that was an annoyance, an interference to conversation and a drawback in getting information from meetings and such. That problem has been lessened by hearing aids.

That leaves the portion that has been my decision. For about six or seven years I have been without TV. The last year or so I’ve been listening a lot less to the radio as well and for the last several months I’ve listened to it hardly at all. I still have CD’s, DVD’s, and VCR’s and I make use of them, borrowing, renting or buying them. I use the CD’s to play my two favorite kinds of music—classical and folk. But I don’t know much about current popular music. That’s kind of gone by the wayside.

The most common question I hear from other people is, “How do you get your news?” I maintain that there isn’t much real news on TV. My daily contact with the internet provides me with headlines and the opportunity to delve deeper into something that interests me. Otherwise, really important news finds its way to me by one means or another. And there are distinct advantages in having no TV. I get a lot of writing and reading done. Curiously, another common comment I get from people is one of agreement. Many people of late have volunteered the information that they no longer find much of interest on TV. Many also complain about the overabundance of commercials. Is there a trend starting?

So far, I’m quite content with my TV-less world. And my house is much quieter. If any of this sounds as if it has some interest for you, why don’t you try it? Join the silence. You might like it.

Monday, August 6, 2012

My mouse squeaks. My computer mouse, that is. I know ordinary mice squeak—they’re supposed to—but I didn’t know that computer mice did. I don’t think they’re supposed to, but mine does. It works fine otherwise, performs faultlessly with its tasks involving interaction with the computer. But every time I move it across my desk, it gives out with a squeaking sound. It’s rather like it’s protesting the movement, objecting to being taken away from its position of repose. I can’t figure out why it does that, but this is just another of the intricacies of technology that I do not understand.

I wrote a few weeks ago about my difficulties with my lawn mower, specifically the trouble I had starting it. My neighbor, who’s good with machinery, started it immediately. He knows a lot about engines, cars, etc. It’s a knowledge built up during years of working with such things. But it seems to be more than that. He has a rapport with machinery. He understands it, likes it. It’s more than physical knowledge; it is some sort of sixth sense that leads him to the source of problems. I have known people like that before. It’s as if they are communicating on some level with the machine and the machine itself is guiding them.

I have known or heard of others who have similar ability with other aspects of life—animals, plants, the weather, the earth itself—the list is endless. I have come to the conclusion that nature sees to it that there exist people that possess all the abilities and talents necessary to furnish all of us with a comfortable, meaningful existence. Moreover, the people who possess such talents are the happiest when they are permitted to use them. Unfortunately, societies such as ours prefer to funnel people into endeavors that it considers more important or in which it believes the people in question would be more satisfied. It seems to me that society’s perception of what is the ideal lacks in comparison to that of nature.

But I am still left with my problem. What I have to do is locate someone who has an affinity with a computer mouse, who understands it, for whom such a thing as squeakingis no mystery and for whom successfully solving the problem is second nature. I am sure there is such a person. Somewhere. Nature has surely arranged that to be so.

POSTSCRIPT: After I posted the above, my mouse quit squeaking. Perhaps it just wanted the notoriety, or perhaps it was doing me a favor of giving me something to write about.